Sen. Jeff Merkley and local law enforcement leaders push for early childhood education

Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk (from left), Sen. Jeff Merkley and Multnomah County sheriff's Captain Monte Reiser read to a group of students at at Albina Head Start center in North Portland.Nicole Dungca/The Oregonian

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley touted the value Monday of investing in preschool programs such as Head Start, noting a report that says early schooling can help reduce crime.

Merkley was joined by Multnomah County District Attorney Michael Schrunk, Portland Police Chief Mike Reese and Multnomah County sheriff's Capt. Monte Reiser as he visited the Albina Head Start McCormack-Matthews Center in North Portland to read to a group of more than 70 kids. Ron Herndon, the Albina center's longtime director and the National Head Start Association chairman, also spoke on the value of such programs.

A report released by the non-profit Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, details how Oregon spends about $976 million on corrections, while spending only a fraction of that on early childhood education.

The state spends about $81 million on Oregon Head Start pre-kindergarten and child care, while about $62 million in federal funds go to the state's Head Start, according to the report. Another $65 million in federal dollars for preschool programs comes from the Child Care and Development Block Grant.

Advocates say early childhood education is a crime deterrent that should be available to all students. "Fighting crime isn't just about locking people up," said Merkley, calling early childhood programs "one of the best investments we can possibly make."

The report cited a study from Michigan's Perry Preschool that showed at-risk children who didn't participate in early childhood programs were five times more likely to be chronic offenders by age 27. It also noted a study at Chicago's Child-Parent Center, which showed kids who did not participate in such programs were 70 percent more likely to be arrested for a violent crime by age 18.

The report noted that Oregon serves about 64 percent of eligible 3- and 4-year-olds in Oregon through its Head Start programs, and that the state has made progress in implementing a rating system that can help evaluate quality early education.

Herndon, a well-known Portland leader and activist who has run the Albina program for decades, said on Monday that Head Start has not become as important of a funding priority as it should be. "You're always appreciative of what you have, but again, you have to look at what's missing," he said.

Herndon has noted shaky funding has hit the program in the past. The center in 2010 experienced nearly $349,000 in cuts, taking away two classrooms and services to about 40 children. The funding was restored a year later.

Merkley cautioned that Head Start would reach about 100,000 fewer kids if the president and Congress take no action and allow looming sequestration cuts from last year's debt deal to kick in.

Merkley, who voted against the compromise that prevented the United States from defaulting on its debt, said politicians now must wrestle with a straitjacket caused by a "misguided" debt deal. As soon as the election is over, he said, Congress and the president will have to engage in intense conversations on the cuts.

"I want to emphasize that as much as we need to chart a course and balance our budget to pull down the deficit," he said. "we shouldn't do it on the backs of our working families and our families in poverty."